The new collective bargaining agreement brought the return of NHL hockey and the end of roommates on the road.

Well, sort of.

All players past their entry-level deals get their own hotel room now whereas in the past players had to be veterans of 600 games or 10 years to get this luxury.

With the change, episodes like this one between Calgary Flames winger Steve Begin and former teammate Guillaume Latendresse, are less likely to happen.

“One time I’m sleeping in my bed and he comes over right beside me — he is looking at me, staring at me,” Begin told Vicki Hall of the Calgary Herald. “I turn and I see this big face and I’m like, ‘What are you doing?’ He doesn’t say a word. He stays there for five seconds. Then he leaves, goes to the bathroom. He comes back, sits on his bed, and he’s still looking at me. I go, ‘Hey! Are you OK? What’s going on?’ And he’s like, ‘What’s happening?’ I go, ‘I don’t know. You tell me.’ I was kind of scared. After that, I didn’t sleep well. I didn’t know what he would do."

End of an era

Goalie Tim Thomas became an overnight sensation during his time as a Boston Bruin, cashing in on the perseverance that made the Michigan native a starter in the league at the age of 30 and eventual Stanley Cup champion.

Yet he unceremoniously left Boston last week, getting traded from the Bruins to the New York Islanders on Thursday for a conditional second-round draft pick while he continues to take a leave of absence from hockey.

This was an important move for the Bruins, who not only alleviate Thomas’ cap hit ($5 million) from their books, but it brings closure to a relationship that – at once very promising – soured completely.

Thomas was a four-time All-Star, a two-time Vezina Trophy winner as the league’s best goalie and he guided the Bruins to a Stanley Cup win in 2011, earning Conn Smythe honors for his efforts.

“He was a great goaltender and I definitely appreciated what he did for this hockey club,” winger Milan Lucic said. “You look at the solid five years that he put together was probably better than any other goalie in the league from 2007-08 to last season. Obviously he was a big part of the team winning a Stanley Cup here, and things didn’t end off the way everybody had hoped. It’s time for everybody to move on. But you’ve got to appreciate the effort he put forth for this hockey club because he did give it his all . . . he’s got two Vezinas and a Conn Smythe to show for it.”

After skipping out on the White House visit last January and posting political messages on Facebook, this triumphant tale suffered a bizarre twist. Thomas decided to take a break from hockey once last season ended. It’s unclear whether or not he’ll report to the Islanders.

“I know that we don’t win the Cup without him,” General Manager Peter Chiarelli said. “He was a character here, was a terrific goalie, was a great story and he had some interesting side stories that became distractions at times. I had to manage this stuff, but I can’t stray from the fact that this guy won two Vezina Trophies and a Conn Smythe and was terrific when we won the Cup.”

Splitting duties

Anaheim Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller is the team’s No. 1, but backup Viktor Fasth is certainly making a case for more playing time.

With Hiller day-to-day after suffering a lower-body injury Friday against the Dallas Stars, Fasth – who signed with the Ducks after being named the top goalie in the Swedish Elite League the past two seasons – is getting the minutes to shine. He won his first five NHL starts, has one shutout and carries a 1.72 goals-against average and .932 save percentage.

Hiller, meanwhile, has a 3.69 goals-against average and .872 save percentage. But he doesn’t seem to mind sharing the responsibility after playing a team-record 73 games last season.

“Last year, I played a lot of games,” Hiller told Eric Stephens of The Orange County Register. “At some point, you kind of feel exhausted. If you have two guys who are playing well, yeah it’s good. If you don’t play well for a while or something, you know there’s somebody else who can carry a team or help them win points. It’s always nice to have. At the same time, it’s also a challenge that you feel like now I have to play better to be up there.”

Kane bites back

After a five-year relationship, Chicago Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane has broken up – with his mouth guard.

“They didn’t have one for me when I got to Switzerland,” Kane told Chris Kuc of the Chicago Tribune. Kane spent the lockout playing for HC Biel. “I could have gone to the dentist and got one but I forgot all about it. When I came back here (the Hawks) had some for me to try, but it just kind of felt weird in my mouth.”

A reunion is possible, but it may be too much of a distraction while he plays.

“That’s something I’ve thought about,” Kane said. “When it’s in my mouth is all I’m worried about is chewing it instead of worried about the game? It’s kind of all in your mind. For the time being we’ll keep it out. It could come back, who knows?”

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